Page 47 of An Uncertain Claim

But one thing I’d never been known for was subtlety.

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Iknew I was alone before I opened my eyes in the morning. Yawning, I turned my head to the side so I could check the clock. It was a little after eight. Damn. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept more than six hours. Unless I was up until the wee hours of the morning, my body’s internal alarm usually woke me around six. With everything happening, I’d missed out on my morning run most days, and I sighed as I accepted this would be another one. I had meetings at KBO all day, including one with each Council. Just thinking about it gave me a headache. And waking up without Peyton in my arms didn’t do my mood any favors.

My intention had been to be up before her and have breakfast ready when I woke her so we could talk before heading to KBO. Peyton’s tendency to be a night owl had curbed with the exhaustion that came with pregnancy. However, that hadn’t transformed her into a morning person. It suddenly occurred to me that she could be up because of morning sickness. According to her, she hadn’t had it for a couple of weeks, but Myka had said not to be surprised if it returned. Apparently, it was different for everyone. I immediately felt like an asshole for being irritated at waking up alone.

I didn’t hear anything, but I still hopped out of bed and hurried over to the bathroom. Empty. I jogged down the hall to the bathroom near Peyton’s old room. Also empty. As I stepped into the hall, the door to the guest room opened and Peyton walked out. She looked ready for the day in a black spaghetti-strap, floor-length summer dress that showed off her small bump and black sandals. Her face had a touch of makeup, and her damp hair was loosely braided over one shoulder. She looked stunning. A rush of pride and possessiveness filled me and my wolf.And all mine.

As if she sensed my presence, her head turned in my direction and she gave me a warm smile. The movement drew my eyes to the birthmark on her shoulder shaped like a feline paw. I squinted slightly and looked harder to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. There wasn’t an inch of Peyton’s body I hadn’t explored. I’d kissed and licked it many times, so I was pretty damn sure the claws had been fully extended, whereas now they were the length of a long fingernail.

“What?” Peyton asked as she dropped her gaze to see whatever had my attention riveted. “What the hell?” she gasped and held up her arm for a closer look.

“I’m not seeing things?” I queried.

Peyton’s head snapped up and she inspected my arm, zeroing in on my biceps, right above my elbow where she’d find my own birthmark—shaped like the head of a wolf howling. Her jaw dropped and she double-blinked before shaking her head. “It can’t be.”

I glanced down to see that my wolf’s mouth was now almost closed. My animal was suspiciously silent. “This doesn’t make sense,” I murmured. “Our marks shouldn’t change until we’ve fully mated.” The marks all our kind were born with had an almost chemical reaction when the two shifters were fully mated, giving off a spark like an electrical current. Sometimes they also changed color. I’d heard of a few that changed shape as well, but it wasn’t common. But this was usually a sign that a couple had fully mated—reached the third stage. The next step was for mated pairs to imprint, or if they were true mates, they’d fully bond. But those were private things and not every mated couple progressed to that point. So the effects from becoming like one were mental and not immediately obvious like the birthmarks.

“Nate,” Peyton whispered. “Why is everything so different for us? We felt emotions before we should have, and now our marks are changing before the next stage. It’s freaking me out.”

I shook my head and slowly approached her, not wanting to spook her into running. Mentally or physically. She was startled when I took her in my arms, but she didn’t try to move away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around me and laid her head on my chest. Remembering my idea about being subtler, I didn’t bring up that it most likely had something to do with being true mates. I held her in silence for a few minutes until the scent of something burning reached my nose.

“Baby?”

“Yeah?” She nuzzled her nose in my smattering of chest hair and sighed.

“Were you cooking?”

“Oh, shit!” she shrieked before breaking out of my embrace and running down the hall.

I quickly followed to see her yank open the oven door, releasing a billow of black smoke. She cursed a blue streak that any sailor would be proud of as she grabbed oven mitts and removed the pan from inside, setting it on the stove top.

Whatever it had been, it was now a very large charcoal briquette.

She threw off the oven mitts and put her hands on her hips, glaring at the ruined pan. Her scowl traveled to me when I couldn’t hold in my laughter anymore. “This is not funny, Nate,” she huffed. “I was trying to make you breakfast since you always make it for me.”

“That was a very sweet gesture,” I told her. “But maybe I should stick to the kitchen.”

“Your mom taught me how to make that. I did it perfectly that day. And I have a freaking eidetic memory, it’s not like I skipped a step or used the wrong temperature.”

“But did you set a timer?” I asked, since I hadn’t spotted the oven or microwave timers flashing.

Peyton covered her face with her hands and groaned.

I laughed again and walked over to bring her body into mine and give her a light squeeze. “If you promise to set one next time, I’ll think about letting you back into the kitchen,” I teased.

She mumbled something about me being a smartass, then broke away from my arms to start cleaning up. “I guess we can grab something on the way to work. You’re already going to be late.”

I glanced at the clock and swore. “I’m going to grab a shower and we’ll go,” I told her as I jogged to the hallway. Before I turned the corner, she called out to me.

“Nate?”

“Yeah, baby?” I glanced at her over my shoulder and was completely floored to see twin spots of pink on her cheeks.

“Don’t tell your mom.”

I bit back a smile and nodded, then waited until I was in the bathroom with the door shut to burst into laughter.

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